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By Louise Kinross<\/p>\n
A favourite summer spot for Liz Zur\u2019s family is sitting by the wading pool in a park close to their house. \u201cI don’t want my children to be separated from their peers, so I seek out venues where we can be with everybody,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know pretty much everyone at the park because we all go to the same school and live on the same street. It’s a great way to spend time with friends. We bring a blanket and some snacks, and if someone gets tired, we can go home quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zur\u2019s son Nicholas, 10 (middle photo above), has autism, and daughter Vicky, seven (photo right), is on a waitlist to be assessed.<\/p>\n
As a family leader, Zur is leading a Parent Support Network workshop<\/a> at Holland Bloorview on June 10 on fun things to do in Toronto this summer.<\/p>\n For Zur, the main criteria when choosing an activity is whether it’s a fit for her whole family. \u201cIf you look at something where only a child with a diagnosis can participate, then it’s excluding my second child. I look for activities that are accessible for people with various disabilities, and at the same time the siblings can join.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n To brainstorm ideas, check out the City of Toronto\u2019s Festivals and Events Calendar<\/a> or BlogTo<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne life hack I found recently, which is quite good, is ChatGPT<\/a>,” Zur says. “I write in a request like \u2018What can I do this weekend in the afternoon with two children aged seven and 10 in Toronto?\u2019 It will come back with a bunch of options. You can set parameters like age, day, and distance to the activity, if you want to stay within a certain radius.\u201d<\/p>\n Accessible Playgrounds Ontario<\/a>, which has a directory and map developed by parent Julie Grant, is a great resource. \u201cWe\u2019ve been to some of the ones built by JumpStart<\/a> and they\u2019re very elaborate with lots of options that are engaging for any child,\u201d Zur says. \u201cAlso, the flooring is rubber tire, not wood chip, which works for wheelchairs and is safer and cleaner.\u201d<\/p>\n A few Ontario beaches<\/a> offer all-terrain wheelchairs and some roll out beach mats that enable kids with wheelchairs and walkers to get to the water. \u201cWe all experience mobility issues at some point in our life,\u201d Zur says. \u201cMy mother had a stroke and uses a walker, so if we want to go to the beach with the grandparents, this would be very important.\u201d<\/p>\n Zur says Allan Gardens<\/a> is a free, accessible botanical garden that holds weekly events like a farmer\u2019s market. \u201cThere is a fishpond with big goldfish and turtles and the trees have fruit on them like a banana or mango that a child can relate to.\u201d She suggests you call to ask about special weekly events that may not be posted on the website.\u00a0<\/p>\n Your local library is a great spot for free summer activities for children and teens. \u201cEach library has their own programming, so you need to visit your local library to pick up a schedule,\u201d Zur says. Often, programs are not listed online. \u201cFor example, my library has a Lego club every Monday where they serve healthy snacks. When I asked them why it wasn\u2019t featured on the Internet, they said they want to keep these programs for the local community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Libraries offer activities for babies, children, teens and parents. \u201cI just picked up the schedule for the Toronto Reference Library and their Youth Hub for teens has crafts like making friendship bracelets, movie nights, a vinyl listening club, and freestyle painting,\u201d Zur says.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to checking out your local library, visit your nearby community centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n Easter Seals\u2019 Access 2 card<\/a> enables a support person, which includes a parent, to attend an attraction with a child with a disability for free. Venues participating in Toronto include Ripley\u2019s Aquarium, the Toronto Zoo, \u00a0Young People\u2019s Theatre, the CN Tower, and Hot Docs. Check the full listing<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Presto Perks<\/a> are discounts at attractions for TTC Presto card holders. For example, you can get 20 per cent off the Dungeons and Dragons Immersive Quest, 25 per cent off Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, and 30 per cent off Toronto Blue Jays home games.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Toronto Public Library offers tpl: map<\/a>, a monthly free pass for library cardholders to a variety of attractions. For example, a cardholder and three guests can get free admission to the Royal Ontario Museum. \u00a0<\/p>\n Relaxed performances include concerts, plays and the ballet where audiences can move around or make noise during a performance. \u201cRelaxed doesn\u2019t mean a reduction in the quality of the performance,\u201d Zur says. \u201cIt\u2019s the same choreography and music, but the environment is not as constrained. Make sure to communicate your child\u2019s needs in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n Xenia Concerts<\/a> offers free adapted concerts \u201cthat are enjoyable for the whole family,\u201d Zur says.\u00a0<\/p>\n She took her son to some relaxed National Ballet of Canada performances<\/a>, \u201cbut I was questioning whether he would enjoy it. On Mother\u2019s Day I got a card that he made in school and on the card he wrote: \u2018Mommy, thank you for taking me to the ballet.\u2019 Out of all the things you think might rank higher in a boy\u2019s mind, he chose ballet. That was an interesting performance because they had a sign language interpreter there. My family doesn\u2019t need it, but it was an additional piece of education for my children that there are other languages and sign language is also a language.\u201d<\/p>\n Zur says finding activities that meet your child\u2019s needs is a matter of researching venues in advance and trial and error. She recently took her kids to an art activity designed for autistic kids but found the instructors didn\u2019t understand how to interact with her son. \u201cIf you have more than one child, I\u2019d suggest bringing a support person because if one child needs one-to-one supervision, you may be spread a bit thin.\u201d<\/p>\n Extend-A-Family<\/a>, which works with families with children with developmental disabilities, can help you advocate for your child\u2019s inclusion in community activities. \u201cI just joined,” Zur says. “A coordinator meets you in person at your house to learn about your child\u2019s interests and what they\u2019d like to do recreation-wise. They research accessible, low-cost, inclusive activities and help you advocate for your child. They\u2019re very big on inclusion, so they won\u2019t recommend activities that separate disabled and abled kids.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s still time to sign up for Zur\u2019s online workshop<\/a> at Holland Bloorview on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like this content?\u00a0<\/em>Sign up<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0for our monthly BLOOM e-letter, follow BLOOM editor\u00a0<\/em>@LouiseKinross<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0on X, or\u00a0<\/em>@louisekinross.bsky.social\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/a>on Bluesky<\/em>,\u00a0or\u00a0watch our\u00a0<\/em>A Family Like Mine video series<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Louise Kinross A favourite summer spot for Liz Zur\u2019s family is sitting by the wading pool in a park close to their house. \u201cI don’t want my children to be separated from their peers, so I seek out venues where we can be with everybody,\u201d she says.\u00a0 \u201cWe know pretty much everyone at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":283250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2722,539,112806],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-283249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-mom","tag-summer","tag-what-can-we-do-this-summer"],"yoast_head":"\n